Halloween Trilogy Expanded Soundtracks John Carpenter Sacred Bones October 3rd Release
Sacred Bones Records will issue expanded editions of all three John Carpenter scores from the recent Halloween trilogy on October 3rd. The package arrives nearly 50 years after Carpenter’s original 1978 film, bringing together his work on David Gordon Green’s 2018 Halloween, 2021’s Halloween Kills, and 2022’s Halloween Ends. The releases present these scores in full for the first time, with 35 previously unreleased tracks across the three films.
Artist: John Carpenter
Release Date: 2025-10-03
Genres: Ambient, Electronica, Experimental Music, Industrial Music
Description: John Carpenter Halloween Complete Expanded Collection arrives October 3rd via Sacred Bones Records with 35 unreleased tracks, deluxe box set
Two new tracks surface today: “Hunting A Killer” from Halloween Kills Expanded and “Take The Mask” from Halloween Ends Expanded. The material documents Carpenter‘s first return to film scoring in two decades, working alongside frequent collaborators Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies. Green brought Carpenter in as both executive producer and composer during pre-production.
The expanded Halloween Kills adds 25 unreleased cues to its 45-track total. Halloween Ends incorporates 10 additional pieces into 31 tracks. A deluxe box set collects all three expanded soundtracks across six LPs or three CDs, featuring new artwork by Chris Bilheimer and liner notes by music critic Brad Sanders. The package includes interviews with Carpenter and Green, plus posters by Creepy Duck and Bilheimer.
Carpenter describes the original 1978 process as bare-bones necessity. He had three days to complete the score alone, working with synthesizer teacher Dan Wyman at USC to tune tube amps. The new scores operate under different constraints – three musicians working without technological limitations, able to layer sounds Carpenter couldn’t access in 1978. Davies handles all guitar parts, including the bowed guitar section in “The Shape Hunts Allyson.” Carpenter calls Davies “the adventurer” who introduces unfamiliar sounds, while Cody Carpenter provides structural organization to their collaborative sessions.
The individual releases appear on various colored vinyl editions through Sacred Bones, Rough Trade, and other outlets. Limited editions include “Toxic Pumpkin” green vinyl and “Melted Pumpkin” orange variants, with runs between 300-700 copies depending on format. Each expanded edition includes a poster designed by Creepy Duck.
John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York, in 1948. His family relocated to Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1953 after his father, music professor Howard Ralph Carpenter, accepted a position at Western Kentucky University. Carpenter attended USC film school and began making short films in 1962. Halloween (1978), which he directed, co-wrote, and scored for approximately $300,000, became one of the highest-earning independent films of all time and established the slasher film template. His subsequent films included The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982), Christine (1983), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), They Live (1988), and In the Mouth of Madness (1994). He has been married to producer Sandy King since 1990.
Carpenter returns to live performance this autumn with shows at Knockdown Center in New York on October 9th and 10th, and multiple dates at Belasco Theater in Los Angeles on October 24th, 25th, and 31st, plus November 1st. An additional performance takes place November 8th at Los Angeles Equestrian Center as part of Future Ruins Festival in Burbank.
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